All Prophets of Allah (may peace be upon them all) were Shepherds; there is much wisdom in this. This was part of their training for the greater task at hand as a Prophet for them all. As a shepherd they are taught the following:
1. Teaching responsibility. The shepherd is responsible for his herd and usually looks after the flock of another, that is ,they are hired and must report to who has hired them. They hold responsibility in this regard and the responsibility of looking after the flock, even if the flock is at fault of its own actions, be it intelligent or otherwise. The shepherd holds full responsibility and accountability over the herd.
2. Teaching patience. Taking sheep out to graze is a slow process, as sheep are quite slow and they take their time and one must wait until the sheep are done. The sheep may fight with one another, they may play with one another, the shepherd must wait and be patient, as he is unable to communicate with them. The shepherd must simply wait for the sheep and continue being patient. Day in and day out the shepherd would leave in the morning and allow the sheep to graze and simply wait for them until they were done. This teaches patience and the Prophets [sal] required much patience during da'wah and conveying the message of tawheed and al-Islam. Musa [Alai] was a shepherd for 10 years when he worked for the old man in Madyan and married one of his daughters.
3. Teaching protection. The shepherd protects the herd. There are various seen or unseen dangers, wolves, other beasts, diseases, etc, all of which the shepherd must consistently make sure do not endanger the herd. The Prophets of Allah Ta'aala are very protective of their people, and they try to protect their followers from physical and psychological dangers. Prophet Muhammad (Sal) has not left any danger that would inflict us without warning us about it as a means of protecting us.
4. Teaching detection of danger. Sheeps and goats have limited sight and can only see so far. A human who stands tall has a longer view and can see danger as it is approaching, as the herd cannot. The first to notice danger is the shepherd who can give an advanced warning to the herd. The Prophets sense and detect dangers before they approach. They have the clearest vision and the longest view, and a vantage point that none of us have. The Prophets know what is good for us, and the Prophet (sal) said, "the analogy of me and you is like someone sitting next to a fire at night and you are attracted to it and jumping in it, while i am grabbing/pulling you from it, as you are trying to jump in".
The shepherd sees the danger and warns the herd, just as the Prophets see the danger and warn their followers. At times the shepherd may hit the sheep in order to give a clear and quick warning and ward off its current path away from the danger. There is no time for a nice and slow convincing manner to this approach when the danger is so near. Similarly, the Prophets at times would appear harsh in their words, as they cared about their followers and wanted to move them away from danger.
5 Teaching simplicity. A shepherd is lives a very simple life and cannot take all of his accessories with him to the desert. A shepherd can only carry with him some basic needs in the desert whilst doing his job, no matter how rich the shepherd may be. A shepherd will eat very simple food and have quite simple and basic accommodation. A shepherd will also become accustomed to the different environments encountered when feeding the animals, such as the cold or heat of the weather, rain, wind, etc. A shepherd must be deal with all of these situations and will be the last to take cover, after taking care of the herd.
6 Teaching closeness to the creation of Allah Ta'aala. Shepherding pulls you out of the artificial world and brings you close to nature. Living in an artificial world goes against our natural disposition, as we were created from this earth and are a part of nature. Being too far from nature results in less contemplation of the creation of Allah. The Quran makes many references to the creation of Allah such as the sun, moon, stars, heavens, mountains, rivers, oceans and plants etc. Allah draws our attention to His creation, as they mirror His abilities and attributes. To learn about the greatness, knowledge, wisdom and abilities of Allah, one only needs to look around at what He has created. A shepherd spends much of his time close to nature, which gives him an opportunity to contemplate about nature, and the Prophets of Allah Ta'aala took advantage of this time to think and reflect about the creation around them.
Why the animals herded were specifically sheep:
One might say that in the time and geographic location of Rasool Allah (sal), that is was not the custom to raise cows or other similar strong animals. However, people did raise camels and the Prophet (sal) did not raise camels, he raised sheep. Other Prophets who lived in other areas also herded sheep [or goat] and not other animals.
* Sheep are weak animals, and much weaker than cows and camels and need more protection and care. Due to this weakness, they can easily fall prey, and when Prophet (sal) wanted to warn us from Shaitan, he would bring in his experience and he would say; Narrated Abu Darda': I heard the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) say: If there are three men in a village or in the desert among whom prayer is not offered (in congregation), the devil has got the mastery over them. So observe (prayer) in congregation), for the wolf eats only the straggling animal. Sa'ib said: By the word Jama'ah he meant saying prayer in company or in congregation. (Sunan Abu Dawood, Book #2, Hadith #0547)
Prophet (sal) learned, that if one sheep goes astray, that will be the target of the wolf. The wolf will not target the herd, but the animal which is alone. As humans, we are weak as these sheep when it comes to the temptation and attack of satan.
* We are affected by our surrounding environment and it leaves a lasting effect on our personality. Shepherds of sheep are different than shepherds of cows and camels. Shepherds are different than cowboys and cowboys differ from shepherds of camel. This is due to their raising of different animals which has an effect on their personality. Sheep are very compassionate, merciful and weak, so the shepherd learns to become kind and merciful toward them as they are fragile animals and one cannot be too harsh toward them. The Prophets of Allah learned how to become compassionate toward their followers. Camels on the other hand are very arrogant animals, and one cannot be soft with a camel as it will take advantage of you. The arrogance of the camel must be met with strength as opposed to kindness and compassion. Shepherds of camel are therefore very rough, tough and may be rude, which is learned via their environment.MSimilarly, teachers have a different personality than doctors. Doctors tend to have a different personality than engineers. Engineers have a different personality than skilled workers, etc.
The Prophets, therefore, had their personality and behavior fashioned through their environment of herding sheep, thus reflecting this personality and behavior toward their followers.
* Ibn Hajar is a classical scholar who wrote the most prominent commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari. Ibn Hajar was a scholar in the field of hadith, fiqh and aqidah.
Ibn Hajar states, "The wisdom behind having the Prophets as shepherds before prophethood is that they may become skilled in herding a flock, as they will be responsible for their respective nations in the future. In herding, one attains forbearance and mercy, and endures patience, for when a shepherd is obliged to gather his flock and herd it from one area to another at once, knowing the traits of all, and all the while protecting from predators, he has thus attained the skills necessary to lead the nation and protect it from its enemies, both within and abroad."
"Thus the Prophets learn patience when leading their people and attained an understanding of the different natures of people. They learned to show kindness to the weak, and resolve with the dominant. The reasons for which Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala chose the sheeps for the Prophets as opposed to the communal cows or camels, is that they are animals which are weak and need extra guidance and attention. Sheep are more difficult to maintain as a flock because of their propensity to go astray and wander away."
"This is akin to human traits within a society and it is the divine wisdom of Allah to train these Prophets accordingly. The Prophet (sal) mentioning of this humble trait shared by all Prophets attests to his humility to Allah."
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